1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of wrapping elongate product, such as especially cable harnesses, with a textile sheath.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of adhesive tapes with a nonwoven web backing for bandaging cable harnesses is known. For instance, DE-U 94 01 037 describes an adhesive tape having a tapelike textile backing comprising a stitchbonded web formed in turn from a large number of stitches which have been sewn in and which run parallel to one another. On the basis of its special design, the adhesive tape described exhibits soundproofing properties in the course of its use for cable harness bandaging.
Besides the stitchbonded nonwoven mentioned in the cited text there are further backings used in adhesive tapes for cable harness bandaging.
DE 44 42 092 describes such an adhesive tape, based on stitchbonded webs, which is coated on the reverse of the backing. DE 44 42 093 is based on the use of a web as backing for an adhesive tape, said web being a cross-laid fiber web which is reinforced by the formation of loops from the fibers of the web, i.e., a web known to the person skilled in the art by the name Malifleece. DE 44 42 507 discloses an adhesive tape for cable bandaging, but bases it on what are known as Kunit or Multiknit webs.
DE 195 23 494 C1 discloses the use of an adhesive tape having a backing comprising web material for bandaging cable harnesses, said tape being coated on one side with an adhesive. The web employed in accordance with the invention is a polypropylene spunbonded web which is thermally consolidated and embossed with the aid of a calender, the embossing roll having an embossing area of from 10% to 30%, preferably 19%.
DE 298 04 431 U1 likewise discloses the use of an adhesive tape having a backing comprising web material for the bandaging of cable harnesses, the proposed spunbonded web being of polyester.
DE 298 19 014 U1 discloses adhesive tapes based on a web which is consolidated with jets of air and/or water.
DE 199 23 399 discloses an adhesive tape having a tapelike backing of nonwoven web material, which is coated on at least one side with an adhesive, the web being a staple fiber web which is consolidated mechanically or is wet-laid. Between 2% and 50% of the fibers of the web are fusible fibers, specifically homopolymer, copolymer or bicomponent fibers having a relatively low softening or melting point.
It is mentioned by way of example that the fusible fibers of the web are of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide, polyester or copolymers.
Another adhesive tape having a tapelike backing of web material is disclosed in DE 199 37 446. The adhesive tape is coated on at least one side with an adhesive, the web being a staple fiber web which is consolidated mechanically or is wet-laid. Here, the further consolidation of the staple fiber web is accomplished by addition of binders, such as powders, films, meshes or binding fibers, for example. The binders may have been dissolved in water or organic solvents and/or may be present in dispersion form.
The binders are preferably employed as binder dispersions such as elastomers or such as thermosets in the form of phenolic or melamine resin dispersions, as dispersions of natural or synthetic rubbers, or as dispersions of thermoplastics such as acrylates, vinyl acetates, polyurethanes, styrene-butadiene systems, PVC, and copolymers thereof.
WO 99/24518 A1 describes an adhesive tape where the backing material is a web which acquires its suitability for adhesive tape use only through the specific selection of fibers or filaments having a linear density of more than 15 denier and also through a film layer which is extruded on additionally.
DE 197 32 958 A1 discloses an adhesive tape for wrapping elongate product, such as cable harnesses or plastic sections, which has a tapelike backing bounded by two lateral edges and provided on at least one side with a self-adhesive layer of a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA). The chemical composition of the PSA is such that, under gentle applied pressure on two adhesive layers lying one above the other, the interfaces are dissolved and the adhesive films coalesce completely to form a homogeneous PSA mass.
The invention depicted here also embraces a method of wrapping the elongate product. According to that method, the elongate product is positioned lengthways, in the region of a section of the adhesive tape, on a side of a tapelike backing of the adhesive tape that is provided with a self-adhesive layer, and then the adhesive tape is bonded in such a way that at least two adhesive regions of the tapelike backing are stuck to one another on the side provided with the adhesive layer in such a way that interfaces of the adhesive layer dissolve to form a homogeneous mass.
The result is therefore a pennant which protrudes from the wrapped product and which, especially under the restricted space conditions in automobile construction, is highly undesirable and harbors the potential risk that, when the cable harness is drawn through restricted apertures or passages, in the bodywork, for example, the wrap will remain hanging and tear off, or at least will damage the covering. This is to be avoided.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a wrap which permits the particularly simple, inexpensive, and rapid wrapping of elongate product such that the disadvantages of the prior art do not occur, or at least not to the same extent.